Of Honor and Chivalry
by NS7
Summary: Dinobot and Silverbolt investigate Predacon activity, resulting in moral discussions that reveals Dinobot's past and an explosive battle with Megatron and other Predacons.


Beast Wars  
  
Of Honor and Chivalry  
  
*Set between "Coming of the Fuzors part II" and "Tangled Web"  
  
Settings-  
  
Takara - "Law of the Jungle" jungle  
  
Neil - "The Low Road" desert mountain  
  
Len - (Sub-sector Ard) "Go With the Flow" mountain  
  
- (Sub-sector Spock) "Go With the Flow" forest  
  
ScottMc - Immediate area outside of the Axalon  
  
Orson - Mountain range (Sub-sector Wells) Bottom of mountains  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Axalon Command Room  
  
  
  
"Urrr. By the Pit, the feeling one gets after a battle is second to none!" Dinobot announced as he entered the chamber. Dinobot was still pleased with the long, drawn out fight that had occurred the previous day.  
  
"Yeah." Rattrap remarked from the hole were the Transmetal Optimus Prime had emerged to save the day. Rattrap was busy working to fix the puncture with an arc welder. "The only thing almost as good is when."- Zaapp -"you step."- Bzzt -"on a lizard's tail." he finished.  
  
"Watch it, rodent.." Dinobot rasped. "Even though you are a Transmetal, snort, I am still your better."  
  
"Ahhhh." Rattrap said in a mockingly feminine voice. "Did Choppahface want a make over, too?" he said, batting his eyes.  
  
"Knock it off, both of you!" Rhinox ordered from the center console. "Rattrap, come here, I need to test the scanners on something Transmetal."  
  
Rattrap put down the arc welder. "What do I look like, a lab rat? Heh, heh! Get it, a lab rat?" he practically begged. "Hooo, boy.."  
  
"If only we were testing poisons." Dinobot wished aloud.  
  
"We'd have tah test it on a Pred, too." Rattrap replied.  
  
"Optimus to base." a voice said over the comm unit.  
  
"Dinobot, Maximize!" the raptor commanded. Dinobot was the closest so the former Predacon pressed the reply button. "Dinobot here, with Rhinox and the 'Thing-That-Would-Not-Bathe'." he answered.  
  
"D'ey!" Rattrap protested.  
  
  
  
  
  
Sector Nemoy  
  
Optimus and Cheetor both flew, side by side, both in vehicle mode.  
  
"This is Optimus and Cheetor, how's the Axalon looking?" he asked.  
  
"Like Waspinator on one of his good days!" Rattrap said over the comm.  
  
  
  
  
  
The Axalon  
  
Dinobot slowly looked over to the comm. unit on the navigation computer. Rattrap smiled and waved at Dinobot.  
  
"What about Silverbolt?" Optimus asked over the comm.  
  
Dinobot leaned his face down to talk into the receiver, not taking his eyes of the rodent.  
  
"Waiting for you to return at the perimeter."  
  
"How are the shields coming?" Optimus' inquiry continued. Rattrap pressed the reply button first.  
  
"Not even strong enough to hold out Dinoboob's smell, than again, that's no small task, 'Fearless Leader'."  
  
Sector Nemoy  
  
Cheetor looked at Optimus Primal. Optimus looked back. The two comrades sighed and shook their heads simultaneously.  
  
They knew what was to come, or at least, they could predict it. Klllassskk! Zaffft. Cuuuuhhhhh...  
  
Static filled the comm units on both Maximals after the sound that was similar to tearing metal, which it probably was. After a moment, the static stopped and there was a beep to announce Dinobot's comment.  
  
"Repairs are continuing, Optimusss." Dinobot hissed. Optimus sighed. Cheetor smirked.  
  
"Warning." Cheetor and Optimus' online radar system said in unison. "Predacon units Quickstrike, Tarantulas and Inferno detected 63 clicks North-East in Sector Orson, Sub-sector Wells."  
  
Optimus glanced quickly at Cheetor.  
  
"Probably giving the new nasty the grand tour." Cheetor remarked.  
  
"Hmmm. Dinobot, you know Megatron the best. Any insight?"  
  
  
  
The Axalon  
  
Dinobot tossed up the comm unit he had ripped out from the navigation computer and caught it with the same hand, then repeated the cocky action continuously.  
  
"Hmmm." he said over the comm to Optimus. "Tarantulas did betray him. I'd say it isss quite possible this is Megatron's punishment for the putrid spider, but the feline is most likely correct."  
  
  
  
  
  
Sector Nemoy  
  
Optimus looked over to Cheetor.  
  
The Transmetal cheetah smiled the goofiest smile Optimus Primal had ever seen.  
  
The Axalon  
  
"Inferno must be along to make sure Tarantulas doesn't try anything risky." Rhinox suggested. Dinobot looked over at the Maximal and nodded.  
  
"Correct." Dinobot acknowledged. "If Cheetor's theory proves true, - snort,"  
  
Over in Sector Nemoy, Optimus Primal thought out his options and decided. "Dinobot, take Silverbolt and find out what they're up to for sure. Rattrap, replace Silverbolt at the perimeter."  
  
"Ah, man. I hate guard duty. I don't get tah blow stuff up!" Rattrap protested.  
  
"Then fix thisss first!" Dinobot suggested and tossed Rattrap the torn-out comm unit.  
  
  
  
  
  
Sector ScottMc, 2 clicks later  
  
  
  
Dinobot and the Fuzor Silverbolt walked together in Beast mode, side-by- side.  
  
"So, comrade, our putrid but pleasant friend Rattrap tells me you were once a Predacon yourself," Silverbolt said almost shyly.  
  
"Rattrap says a lot. You'll learn to ignore it." Dinobot said, wishing the latter were true.  
  
"But is this true?"  
  
Dinobot stopped so suddenly, Silverbolt nearly tripped over himself. Dinobot slowly turned his sleek head to the Fuzor.  
  
"Yes." he said in a tone that was dripping with threat. Then he turned his head back around and continued onward.  
  
Silverbolt, seemingly oblivious to Dinobot's apparent warning, trotted in order to keep up, wanting to know more.  
  
Sector Len, Sub-sector Ard  
  
"By the Pit, this is humiliating! Playing tour-guide to a freak is an insult to my genius!" a shinning purple and gold spider complained.  
  
"It is your punishment for betraying the Queen, Traitor. The Royalty commands it!" a giant, fiery-red fire ant rasped.  
  
"Daggnabbit!" the third member in the trio thought aloud. "This is a waste a' mah time! Let's go blow some'in' up!"  
  
"Silence, Fuzor, or I will have you for a long-awaited breakfast!" Tarantulas ordered.  
  
"Is that a challenge, Tinhorn? Why, Ah could blast you with one hand tah'ed b'hind mah back!" Quickstrike countered.  
  
"You only have one hand, Tex!"  
  
  
  
  
  
Sector Neil  
  
  
  
"So, why did you join us?" Silverbolt asked.  
  
He and Dinobot were treading along the path Dinobot and Rattrap had used to find Tarantulas' lair when Rhinox had been infected with the nano-virus.  
  
"It is of no concern to you, Fuzor." Dinobot remarked.  
  
"My name is Silverbolt." He said defiantly.  
  
"And my name is Dinobot, I am on your side and in command of this mission and that is all you need to know!"  
  
The two continued onward in silence, neither looking at the other, until, as usual, Silverbolt brook the silence.  
  
"I was a Predacon once, but I believe that factions are just labels, groups of, shall we say, political parties. Maximals are Transformers who value peace, equality, freedom and justice, while Predacons are Transformers who like to fight and don't care how as long as they win. I just wanted to know why you were one."  
  
"I was activated as one." Dinobot said coldly.  
  
"Then why don't you act like one?" Silverbolt said before he could catch himself.  
  
Dinobot stopped and turned to look at Silverbolt who looked back up at him.  
  
"And what is that supposed to mean, Fuzor?" he threatened.  
  
"I-I-I." he started nervously. "I meant, you seem as if war is not a battle, but a test."  
  
Dinobot sighed. He realized this was true.  
  
Silverbolt continued. "Predacons are just a faction. What you're activated as makes no difference. What I mean to ask you was why you were with Megatron in the first place. Surely there are both good and evil members of both factions, but Megatron is a true villain. You, on the other hand." Silverbolt was obviously nervous and ashamed. He had not meant to offend Dinobot but instead to find out why he joined the Maximals and why was he once allied with Megatron.  
  
Although he had only slight experience, Silverbolt had already developed a theory; you're activated, and which side you're on depends on your objectives." Dinobot sighed.  
  
"What I tell you, you take to the grave. Betray my trust, and I'll make you one myself." he said after awhile.  
  
Silverbolt blinked. "Understood."  
  
  
  
  
  
Sector Len, Sub-sector Ard  
  
  
  
"We must stop all invaders from entering the Colony for the Queen." Inferno raved as he lectured. He led the other two Predacons in a sharp, slim triangle formation.  
  
Quickstrike, who was side-by-side with Tarantulas, tapped the other arachnid with his cobra head. As Tarantulas looked on, Quickstrike made circles with the cobra head next to his ear, indicated to Inferno and then went back to making the circles.  
  
Tarantulas said "I agree." after a short chuckle.  
  
Inferno jumped up sharply and turned in mid-air to look back at the two when he landed.  
  
"Agree to what, Spider?" he demanded.  
  
"Uhh. That we must protect the col- I mean, the base, from intruders." He caught himself.  
  
"Hmmm."  
  
"Alert." Inferno's onboard computer interrupted before the confrontation could continue between the spider and the ant. "Maximal units approaching, 2 clicks away at point zero-six-six-eight, sector Neil."  
  
"Woo, howdy! Finally, we get tah kick some Maxi's!" Quickstrike voiced.  
  
"No. We must alert the Queen first!" Inferno commanded. "Inferno to Megatron." He said into his comm unit. Addressing his commander for radio communication was the only time Inferno ever called Megatron "Megatron".  
  
  
  
  
  
The Dark Side, Main hall  
  
  
  
Megatron was standing next to his personal computer, or what was left of it, conducting a private investigation of his own when the call came in.  
  
"Inferno to Megatron." The comm unit repeated.  
  
"Yes, Sub-commander?" the tyrant answered into his own wrist comm unit.  
  
"Two Maximals are approaching our position, we will be able to make visual contact in less than 2 clicks. What is your command, my Queen?"  
  
Megatron grimaced for a moment than gave his orders to his troops. "Inferno, take Tarantulas and Quickstrike to intercept, I'm on my way.after I take care of a few things, first. Megatron out."  
  
Sector Len, Sub-sector Ard  
  
  
  
"As you wish, my."  
  
"And Inferno," Megatron interrupted over the comm. "Don't call me that."  
  
"Yes, my. Yes, Royalty." Inferno corrected. He remembered what happened the last time he called Megatron that.  
  
"Yee-hah! Y'all heard the Boss-Bot! Let's tangle with those Maxi's!" Quickstrike agreed.  
  
Inferno began racing towards Sector Neil immediately and the other two villains scrambled to catch up.  
  
"Yes!" Inferno concurred. "The Royalty commands it!"  
  
  
  
  
  
The Dark Side, Main hall  
  
  
  
Megatron still had some unfinished business to attend to. He kneeled down when something sparkly caught his eye. He touched it with one finger and it instantly stuck to him and he raised it to examine the finding.  
  
It was a strand of Blackarachnia's silk.  
  
"Hmmm. Computer, where was unit Blackarachnia." He checked his holographic clock. "Sixteen point three-three clicks ago?"  
  
"Unit Blackarachnia was detected in the main hall." It said in it's feminine but dull voice.  
  
"Urrr. I'll have to talk with that treacherous She-Spider later, yesss. But first." he transformed into vehicle mode. "Two Maximals are about to meet their fate, yesss."  
  
As Megatron skated away, eight black eyes watched him leave from above.  
  
The black widow spider hopped down from the roof and transformed into robot mode.  
  
"Tarantulas?!? Megatron knows! I'm done playing this game of yours!" she said as if he was right next to her.  
  
Her eyes turned florescent green and out of her own mouth came the voice of the other spider Predacon.  
  
"Never, Witch, you are mine! Now look for more information on the disk!" he commanded.  
  
Then he was 'gone'.  
  
"Beast mode!" Blackarachnia ordered. She started to scurry away and voiced her feelings instead of thinking them. "Okay, Tarantulas, have fun playing with the Maximals because when I get there, I'm going to play with you."  
  
As Blackarachnia sealed the cargo bay doors, the chamber echoed with loud, metallic footsteps.  
  
"Well, well, well. That answers a few questions, yesss. Those two spiders are psychically linked, but the treacherous She-Spider doesn't like it, nooo. I could use this to my advantage." Megatron said aloud as he emerged from the shadows. Then he laughed a horrible laugh, one that filled the chamber and the shadows.  
  
  
  
  
  
Sector Neil  
  
Dinobot had told Silverbolt about the events of the Beast Wars in order to get him up to speed and in order to understand a few things in the story he was about to tell.  
  
"I was once an agent of the Predacon Secret Police. It was our job to keep rogue Predacons, such as Megatron, in check, in order to. appease. the Maximal Elders. I became - snort - quite well known, Sergeant Diceobot. Predacon criminals everywhere feared me. Then on one mission, a certain rogue did the impossible; he beat my squad.  
  
"That rogue was Megatron. He and his band had been stealing transport supplies at the time. I was disgraced, stripped of my honor and rank. To the Predacon Secret Police, honor was everything. It is the only thing;" he emphasized. "That made some of us feel equal to you Maximals, relishing in the fact that you won the Great War, just because the Decipticons received major, coincidental catastrophiesss. "I had to regain my honor. The only way to do that was to beat the one who had brought disgrace upon me. Megatron." Dinobot paused after saying their enemy's name in a tone that you would say a word of contempt.  
  
"Wait. You joined Megatron to capture him?" Silverbolt said in confusion.  
  
Dinobot turned and glared at Silverbolt as the two still walked towards Sector Len together.  
  
"Yesss." he hissed. He turned his head and looked ahead again. "The only to get close enough to get him was to be in league with him."  
  
Silverbolt was more confused than ever.  
  
"I most disliked Megatron and his troop, especially Terrorsoar." Dinobot continued.  
  
"Terrorsaur? Wasn't that a Predacon who died before my arrival?" Silverbolt asked.  
  
"Yes. I see you've checked up on the past of the Beast Wars. But, as I wasss saying, Terrorsoar ('soar', as in flying), was quite annoying. So my plan went on; I would wait for Megatron to fail and I would capture him as his band of rogues as they fled. But they never failed."  
  
Silverbolt wasn't sure where this was going.  
  
"One impossible mission after another, Megatron succeeded where all else would have failed. I let the glory get to me and come before my honor."  
  
"Which is why you are now obsessed with it." Silverbolt deducted.  
  
Dinobot looked at the winged wolf out of the corner of his eye. "Yesss. But I didn't realize this until I thought Megatron had finally failed." Dinobot admitted.  
  
"Thought'? Did he fail?" Silverbolt asked, realizing what Dinobot had accidentally said.  
  
Dinobot silently cursed himself. This Maximal was curious and naïve, but not enough to not pick up on the thought behind his last statement.  
  
"No. this is Earth. Ancient Earth, but Earth none-the-same. However, even though Megatron has succeeded in one of his goals again, I realized he has become nothing but a power-hungry tyrant and he must be stopped, for Predacons under his rule will cheat and backstab and there will be no honor for the Predacons."  
  
At last, all was revealed. Silverbolt now knew why his fellow Predacon- turned-Maximal did what he did.  
  
The pair still treaded the same path towards their destination of interception as they had from the beginning of the mission.  
  
It was Dinobot who broke the ice this time. "Why do you act the way you do?"  
  
  
  
  
  
Sector Len, Sub-sector Spock  
  
"I don't understand." Silverbolt answered as they crossed into Sub-sector Spock.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I'm talking about thissss charade, Maximal." Dinobot said as if it was more a threat than an explanation. "These deeds of 'nobility' and 'chivalry'."  
  
"It's no charade. it's just the way I am." Silverbolt said, still not sure of Dinobot's meaning.  
  
"Aszz you wish. Then, Silverbolt, why do you behave," he emphasized. "The way you do? Even for a Maximal it is to an extreme limit."  
  
"Well," he started. "When I was first activated I saw something. I saw wars, and death. Then Quickstrike attacked me, and more memories I never knew I had came rushing back to me!" Silverbolt said in an obviously astounded voice. Dinobot smiled as if he got a joke that Silverbolt didn't, the smile itself a rare occasion.  
  
"I remembered falling, thinking of my friends, that I had given my life for a reason, even though I was still alive, and I was afraid, deathly afraid of being in the air, but the feeling left me because I felt that I had made a difference. I felt as if I had done something noble, and it made my fear go away. And when I hit the ground, I barely felt it."  
  
"Your memory databank had malfunctioned when you were in your stasis pod." Dinobot explained. "When this happens, memories are downloaded into you from a past ancestor. During the Great War, Teletran 1, the Autobot's main computer, constantly monitored the Autobot units. Apparently, you got the memories of a Transformer named Silverbolt, an Autobot who sacrificed his life for his cause. Although most did not realize this since he transformed into a jet, Silverbolt was afraid of heights."  
  
"That does explain a lot. I guess we both have a reason to live the way we live." Silverbolt admitted.  
  
"Warning." their on-board computers said. "Predacon targets in immediate proximity."  
  
"What?" Dinobot exclaimed. "How could they get that close without us seeing or smelling them?  
  
"Inferno, Terrorize!" came a highly muffled voice from below them. Out of the ground, the fire ant erupted into a tall red villain. Behind him came a scorpion with a cobra head for a stinger.  
  
"Quickstrike, Terrorize!" he said as he followed Inferno.  
  
Then the two Maximals heard a motor from behind them and turned to see Tarantulas come up, flanking them from behind.  
  
The Predacon scientist screeched to a halt. "Tarantulas, Terrorize!" and he did instantly.  
  
With two in front of them and one behind them, the Maximals were trapped.  
  
"Dinobot, Maximize!" Dinobot yelled and jumped at Inferno and Quickstrike as he transformed in mid-air.  
  
"Silverbolt, Maximize!" the new Maximal commanded and pulled out a feather sword missile and thrust it up just in time to stop Tarantulas' saw gun from hitting his face.  
  
"You are doomed, Fuzor!" Tarantulas said menacingly.  
  
"Not- grunt -if I use more limbs than a spider!" With his free left hand he grabbed another feather sword and swung it across Tarantulas' chest."  
  
  
  
  
  
Sector Len, Sub-sector Ard  
  
At the sight of Silverbolt, Blackarachnia almost forgot her anger. Almost. "That is one good looking Maximal." Then she recalledher objective.  
  
Blackarachnia scrambled across the forest floor as fast as she could. She was ready to destroy Tarantulas; she was no one's slave. As she thought about all the ways she could dismantle him, she failed to notice the footsteps until the tyrant was immediately behind her.  
  
"Well, well, well, Blackarachnia, how nice to find you in this neck of the woods, yes." Megatron warned. Blackarachnia instantly knew Megatron had been following her. But how had he known she was going towards Sector Neil?  
  
"Megatron, I.I overheard Inferno when I was at the base, and I came to help." Blackarachnia lied. She was proud of herself. A good lie in less than three seconds.  
  
"Must be a new record." She mumbled.  
  
"What was that, She-Spider?" Megatron asked.  
  
"Nothing." she had to get to Tarantulas. "But shouldn't we go after the Maximals?"  
  
The two Predacons stood quietly in beast mode. Megatron raised and eyebrow at Blackarachnia.  
  
"Yes." he realized. "We should. You," he said as he moved to the side and pointed. "Lead the way."  
  
Blackarachnia sighed and continued onward towards her tormentor with the most dangerous Predacon of all behind her.  
  
  
  
  
  
Sector Neil  
  
Dinobot was growing annoyed with Quickstrike and Inferno's attacks. No matter which way he tried to strafe, a Predacon's fire stopped him. His spinning shield was taking a lot of damage and his sword was useless when his adversaries were so far away, about two par-clicks. Then Dinobot noticed a large red wood in between him and his enemies and a plan formed in his head.  
  
He charged up his laser beams and fired at the tree, cutting it in half.  
  
Quickstrike had a second to sigh before the tree landed on him. Inferno jumped forward but a branch connected with one of his rudders and pocked a hole in it.  
  
"Gaauugh!" the Predacon yelled, pulling it out. "You will burn for that, traitor!" With that, Inferno lunged at Dinobot.  
  
Silverbolt failed to notice thee other two Predacons approach. He pulled out another sword-missile and swung it at Tarantulas, but this time the spider was ready for it. He swung his saw gun down and cut off the explosive tip.  
  
"Nice try, Fuzor!" Tarantulas mocked.  
  
"Your- grunt-comment is most true." he hissed back at the spider as they pushed against each other.  
  
"Blackarachnia, Terrorize!" the she-spider commanded behind Silverbolt.  
  
"Megatron, Terrorize!" followed.  
  
Silverbolt knew he was in trouble.  
  
"Cheetor, Maximize!"  
  
"Rattrap, Maximize!"  
  
Silverbolt crouched down and Tarantulas, who was still pushing, flew over him. As Silverbolt turned around, he brought up his swords in time to block a swing from Megatron's tail cannon.  
  
"You cannot win, Maximal, no.." Megatron gloated.  
  
Rattrap was running for his life. One second, he and Cheetor show up to save Dino-boob and the Bird-Dog, flying and racing in, the next, Blackarachnia was shooting at him like he was a bulls-eye. The rat jumped behind a large boulder and Blackarachnia's .50mm guns riddled it continuously.  
  
"Blasted Pred! Hey, 'dat's it!" Rattrap said to himself. He opened up his forearm compartment and pulled out a demolition charge. Just then a missile hit the boulder and the shock threw the charge from Rattrap's hand.  
  
And landed within reach, but in Blackarachnia's line of fire.  
  
"Well, ain't that cut the cheese!"  
  
Dinobot and the ant were locked in a battle of pure ferociousness.  
  
"You are no match for me, insect!"  
  
"I will have your head, the Royalty commands it!" Inferno switched his gun to the flame-thrower setting. Cackling madly, he put the near area ablaze.  
  
Cheetor smirked as Tarantulas tried to shoot him with his saw gun.  
  
"Awww, is the ugly mad he can't hit the cat?" he hollered as he jumped from spot to spot in Beast mode.  
  
Instead of replying, Tarantulas shot off his shoulder missiles and they homed in on the cat.  
  
"Ahf!" Cheetor grunted as he was thrown back.  
  
"As always, you pay for your recklessness." Tarantulas growled and cackled.  
  
Silverbolt was thrown back from a blast of Megatron's T-Rex arm cannons and landed against a tree.  
  
"Pathetic Maximal! You cannot win, noo!" Megatron insulted. Silverbolt, in response, threw his feather swords at the golden villain but the were destroyed by plasma bursts before they could connect. In the moment Megatron was distracted by the feathers, Silverbolt grabbed the explosive tip that had been cut off by Tarantulas and stored it in his rear compartment.  
  
"This might be useful at a later time." Silverbolt commented. Pulling out two new feathers, he rushed at Megatron and made a gash in the purple chest of Meghatron's super structure with one of the bladed, explosive tips.  
  
"Guh!" Megatron gasped. As he recovered quickly, he swatted Silverbolt away with the tail cannon.  
  
Tarantulas slowly walked towards the prone Maximal.  
  
"Gahhh-hahh-hah-haaahhhhh!" the perverted Predacon laughed gleefully, his mandibles clicking together wildly. "This shall be most entertaining." Trantulas answered himself.  
  
Flames surrounded Dinobot, and worse yet, Inferno had retuned to blasting away at him with his energy spheres. Dinobot tried to shoot the rampaging arsonist with his eye beams, but the ant easily avoided the shots with his jet.  
  
Dinobot grabbed a large branch and swirled it around in his hand until it looked like he was preparing to stab the air. Instead, his threw it like a spear and it made its mark into the barrel of his gun. The explosion and Inferno's resulting face made Dinobot grin.  
  
Rattrap tried desperately to get a shot in at Blackarachnia, but the female Predacon wouldn't let up on her .50mm assault. Every time he tried to move, the spot he went to was attacked.  
  
"Ah, man, I knew I should have brought more charges. I'm getting 'widow whiplash'." Then the rodent smiled. He pulled out his tail whip and grabbed the bladed end. He made a loop and stuck the end into a lower part, making a small, metallic lasso. He tossed it out and it landed perfectly over the charge.  
  
"I should have been a cattle bot rustler!" he hollered in amusement. He dragged the charge over and undid the loop. He pushed the switch at the handle and it straightened out like a pole.  
  
With a grunt, Rattrap stuck it into the ground and removed one of his wheels. He stuck it out past the rock and saw were Blackarachnia was in the reflection.  
  
As he turned back to look at the "catapult" he had made out of his tail he saw the inscription "Objects are closer than they appear." on the wheel/shield. He picked up the charge and activated it and pulled down the tail. As he set the charge on the flat handle, he whispered to himself; "I knew I should have paid more attention in gee-ohm-ity." and he released the tail and the charge flew past the rock towards the source of the fire.  
  
The sound of an explosion and Blackarachnia's grunt made Rattrap smile.  
  
Inferno lunged at Dinobot and grabbed his midsection and ankles and hoisted him above his head before Dinobot could react.  
  
"Time to die, traitor!" and he carried him off with his thorax jets.  
  
In the distance, Dinobot guessed the destination; a small area of large, sharp rocks.  
  
The shinning cat was still as Tarantulas slowly arrived next to him. The spider crouched down and kneeled by Cheetor. His saw gun spun in his hand.  
  
But before Tarantulas could act out any disgustingly evil plans, Cheetor's metallic Beast mode head thrashed up and rocketed Tarantulas' forehead. As Tarantulas stumbled, Cheetor transformed and put his claw phasers together and unleashed a barrage of electric pulses.  
  
The scientist didn't have time to regain his bearing before he entered stasis lock.  
  
Silverbolt was behind a tree nearby and was not enjoying the constant insults and attacks from Megatron.  
  
"Come on out and face me, coward!"  
  
Silverbolt turned around to face the tree and started to climb, the other side of the tree providing cover.  
  
"What is that traitorous Fuzor doing?" Megatron growled under his breath and he cautiously began to walk towards the tree after halting his fire.  
  
He came around the tree and his opponent was nowhere in sight.  
  
"What the.?" the confused Tyrannosaur muttered, bewildered.  
  
"Above you, villain!" yelled Silverbolt from above. The Fuzor tossed the severed feather tip into the air and hit it with a sword like a baseball. The tip flew down and struck Megatron, lodging itself into the gash in his chest. Megatron grunted in response, but held his ground. Then, through gritted teeth he growled,  
  
"You'll pay for that, Maximal, and dearly, yes!"  
  
Silverbolt's face betrayed him, showing his shock.  
  
Inferno carried the helpless Dinobot over his head, still on a presumed course to the jagged rocks. As Dinobot looked around for a solution, the distance was depleting greatly.  
  
He tried to fire his eye lasers, but the system had taken damage when Inferno had grabbed him and hoisted him up. He'd have to think of something else.  
  
His sword.  
  
Dinobot looked down and saw the hole the tree limb had punctured in one of Inferno's jet fins. Dinobot struggled in Inferno's grasp. "What are you doing, traitor?" Inferno yelled.  
  
"Apparently sticks and stones can hurt, insect!" Dinobot taunted at Inferno and with one hand, pulled out his spinning sword. "But I do not intend on allowing my demise to be a few pebbles!" and with that remark, he thrust the sword down, sending the blade through the hole and into the jet.  
  
With a strong kick to the Predacon's head, Dinobot managed to shake free from Inferno's grip and launched himself through the air and landed on his back on the hard, hard ground.  
  
"Gahhhh!" the Predacon yelled, aware of what the traitor had done. He couldn't steer and thus couldn't help but crash into the rocks himself.  
  
Silverbolt fell from the tree and onto the forest floor. Megatron had blown away the tree limb Silverbolt had been standing on and all the others near that.  
  
"You are doomed, Maximal. There is no escape, no." Megatron gloated.  
  
Silverbolt stood up and held his chest, weakened. "There is always hope, scoundrel."  
  
"Not for you." Megatron replied and charged up his tail cannon.  
  
Before Megatron could fire, Silverbolt pulled out two more sword-missiles and tossed them to Megatron. In pure reaction, Megatron dropped his cannon and caught both.  
  
"Pathetic attempt of my destruction, Maximal." Megatron grimaced.  
  
Silverbolt jumped back and fired his shoulder cannons and the combined power of five explosive feathers, the one lodged in his chest, the two in his hands and the two fired, caused Megatron to rocket backwards.  
  
Silverbolt stood there, not moving, watching Megatron slowly get to his feet. Dinobot, Rattrap and Cheetor walked up behind Silverbolt in a show of support.  
  
Megatron saw the four unified Maximals and transformed into Beast mode.  
  
"This is not over, Maximals, no." and Megatron flew off on his VTOL jets.  
  
Later  
  
Cheetor and Rattrap continued on ahead, walking and rolling slowly, respectively. Dinobot and Silverbolt stayed back a bit, almost as if they had something secret to say.  
  
The velociraptor and the eagle-winged wolf walked at the same pace.  
  
Dinobot half smiled. "You fought well for a rookie, snort"  
  
Silverbolt grinned. "It was an honor to fight beside you."  
  
Dinobot smiled and chuckled. "Welcome to the Beast Wars." his said to his new comrade. 


End file.
